BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — In a stunning conclusion to a contest that received international attention, Democrat Doug Jones is the apparent winner over Republican Roy Moore in the Senate race in this deeply conservative state, according to an NBC News projection. It took an extraordinary alignment of events, including a sex scandal involving teenagers, for Alabamians to elect their first Democrat to the Senate in 25 years, but they triggered a political earthquake that will be felt far and wide.

With 99 percent of the vote in, Jones was leading 50-48 percent, or 673,236 votes to 652,300 votes — a margin of more than 20,000. However, Moore refused to concede Tuesday night, telling supporters in Montgomery that he may pursue a recount. "It's not over," Moore said. "That's what we've got to do, is wait on God and have this process play out." The current margin appears too large for an automatic recount, which is triggered under state law if the candidates are separated by less than half a percentage point, but Moore could call for a recount if he's willing to pay for one himself. The apparent outcome was another stinging defeat for President Donald Trump, who bucked his party's congressional leadership to stage a last-minute rescue mission for Moore. And it was his second in a state he won overwhelmingly in 2016, after he tried to pull Sen. Luther Strange across the line in the GOP primary against Moore in September